On Earth Day April 2008, a paper collection, shredding and recycling program began at the University of Tampa. Since then, our campus has made several minor changes to attempt to improve the sustainability on campus. For example, the university’s stationary is printed on recycled stock, the photocopier paper is made from partially recycled paper and items like batteries, old appliances, old air conditioners and old computers are recycled. It sounds like our campus has been headed in the right direction. But, usually, the first thing I see when I walk into any dorm room is a pile of water bottles sitting on the floor and a wad of paper in the trash can. Recycling is one of the best and easiest practices students can participate in, but, unfortunately, I don’t think recycling bottles and cans on our campus has been made as convenient as it should be.
In April 2012, the Dream Machine, also known as the reverse vending machine, was installed on campus in hopes to encourage more frequent recycling on campus. The Dream Machine was created by PepsiCo in partnership with Waste Management in order to increase the beverage container recycling rate from 34 to 50 percent by the year of 2018. According to http://www.smartplanet.com, less than a third of plastic beverage containers are recycled each year. Students are supposed to be able to walk by it on campus and conveniently deposit their empty bottles without hassle. But that’s not all the Dream Machine is good for: If a student registers with his/her name and e-mail address online at www.greenopolis.com, he/she can earn points that are redeemable with certain businesses for rewards such as movie tickets, sporting goods, electronics, gift cards, music or books. When entering your zip code online, greenopolis.com will provide a list of businesses in the area that will allow an exchange of points for prizes. Every bottle or can recycled will earn a student anywhere from 1-5 points. Even if you don’t pre-register online, all you have to do is touch the screen on the Dream Machine, scan the bottle or can’s bar code, then print the receipt that will allow you to log in online and claim your points.
According to greenopolis.com, recycling one can saves the equivalent amount of energy as running a light bulb for six hours. Our Dream Machine holds about 300 cans or bottles, which means that it can hold up to 1,800 hours’ worth of energy. Recycling lessens our dependency on foreign oil because plastic bottles are made using oil. That all sounds pretty cool, but after talking to students on campus, I received some negative feedback. Freshman art therapy major Lexy Castriotta said, “I don’t think the machine works, and I heard a girl in the cafeteria complain that it was full when she went to drop off her bottles.” This means that some students are obviously willing to participate, but might eventually give up if it isn’t emptied and made available for use quickly enough.
The machine might also be more beneficial if it were moved to a more central location on campus instead of by the pool. If the machine were moved over by Vaughn, everyone entering the bookstore, cafeteria or dorm and students getting onto the Howard Johnson shuttle would constantly see it. This would regularly remind them of the program and cause for recycling. Another idea is to purchase more than one machine. The more students that see it, the more they would become familiar with it and comfortable with using it. If our school had one water fountain, no one would take the time out of their day to seek it out. Fortunately, we have them all over campus, and often see students stopping for a drink of water. The same concept might be applied to the Dream Machine.
Even without the Dream Machine, I have not seen nearly enough recycling bins around our campus for recycling to be considered convenient. Part of the reason students do not want to recycle is because it requires an extra five or ten minute walk around campus to do it. It is even harder at the Howard Johnson where everything is a shuttle ride away. The University of Tampa is partnered with Secure On-site Shredding, and the company picks up the contents of 19 recycling collection bins biweekly. Many students would say they only know where one or two of these bins are even located. I think the campus should properly advertise recycling in order to encourage more students to participate. If I knew where the nearest recycling bin was, I would be a lot more likely to go to it.